Very few series, as far as I know, show an immortal, or long-lived person, dealing with the concept of death. Those who have to face seeing their friends perish while they remain. It’s a topic that Highlander deals with, but that only got one anime adaptation. Frieren Beyond Journey’s End (Soso no Furiren, or Frieren, the Final Farewell to the Dead) tackles a similar issue, wherein an elf girl, far older than she appears, decides to connect with humanity after the death of a beloved comrade.
This series is set to air sometime in autumn 2023. Until then, fans can enjoy this brief teaser trailer.
Madhouse, the fine people adapting this series, have set up an official Twitter page and home page dedicated to Frieren Beyond Journey’s End, there for anyone interested in more information. Bonuses, like the key visuals seen below, are included. There is also an official Twitter page (as indicated by the gold checkmark) for the original manga version.
As an aside, BOCCHI THE ROCK! director Keiichiro Saito will be directing this series.
An Elf Connects with Humanity
Frieren Beyond Journey’s End follows the titular elven mage Frieren. She worked with a hero’s party and spent ten years with them to defeat the Demon King. They concluded their epic journey with a stargazing trip to see the Era Meteors, a meteor shower that occurs once every 50 years. When Frieren parts ways with her comrades, the human hero Himmel, the dwarven warrior Eisen. and the human priest Heiter, she promises to see them again in 50 years’ time to watch the meteor shower again.
50 years later, after having explored the lands to learn more about magic, her party, and the humans in general have changed. Unlike her, they aged quite a bit. After their return to the meteor shower, Himmel dies of old age, leaving Frieren with a distinct feeling of regret. She laments that she never truly learned much about him. Frieren agreed to watch over and teach Himmel’s adopted daughter Fern, a girl gifted with magic. She also received an invitation to travel to the north, to the resting place of souls, to bid farewell to the human hero. Thus, her next great adventure begins.
Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Origins
Frieren Beyond Journey’s End first defeated the Demon King in a manga series written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe. Shogakukan began publishing the series on April 28th, 2020, and have released nine volumes so far.
If you’re looking for more pretty elf girls that may or may not have great magical abilities, J-List has a few good elf girl artbooks to pick up right away.
Are you looking forward to watching Frieren’s unintentionally aloof expression in anime form? Can you think of any other series where the immortal or long-lived character confronted the mortality of others? Do you really think we need to face existential dread in anime form? Let us know in the comments below.
